SaltSensibility

Score one for the good guys! The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) recently adopted the rationale proffered by EuSalt and announced it would forego multi-national dietary guidelines. EFSA announced:

The main conclusion of the Panel is that it is not feasible to establish detailed and effective FBDG [note: Food Based Dietary Guidelines] which could be used at the EU level as diet-related public health priorities may differ between countries. FBDG must also take into account wide disparities in dietary habits, due to cultural differences in eating patterns and the varying availability of food products across Europe. Therefore the NDA Panel decided to focus its opinion on the scientific process underlying the development of FBDG.

EuSalt hailed the decision as "evidence for its long-standing position, namely that it is not feasible to generalise, neither globally nor on European level, requirements on the intake of salt." EuSalt argued broad guidelines would "be dangerous for many." EuSalt also expressed pleasure at the newly-announced review of the scientific process underlying dietary advisories.

The Salt Institute congratulates both EFSA and EuSalt for their enlightened advocacy.

Posted by Dick Hanneman at 10:54 PM | Permalink

Arguing hyperbolically that it is "even more important to reduce consumption of sodium" than to eliminate trans-fat in foods, two staffers at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene editorialized in this week's Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA, subscription required) that "it is nearly impossible for consumers to greatly reduce their own salt intake." They urge drastic government controls to "protect the public from unhealthy food" such as restrictions on marketing foods they don't like and subsidizing the consumption of government-favored foods, zoning restrictions to bar location of restraurants that serve foods they don't like or taxes on such "bad foods."

In short, the solution is to restrict consumer choices to their know-it-all choices. "The modern food supply is tainted -- it is too salty, too sugary, and too rich in calories, and there is simply too much of such food easily available," they continue, arguing that governments should regulate the amount of salt and added sugar in foods. "Food safety for the 21st century should be reframed....public health systems must reduce the contribution of food to the epidemics of obesity and chronic disease."

Over the past year, with evidence turing against arguments for universal sodium reduction, advocates of cutting salt are becoming shriller and more totalitarian. Perhaps the the NYC Department of Health is upset that reason Magazine ranked New York City the nation's second-worst "nanny-state city" (behind San Francisco) when it comes to dietary fascism and the Big Apple is out to regain its #1 ranking.

Posted by Dick Hanneman at 09:57 PM | Permalink

The tragic toll of highway and workplace fatalities both declined in 2007 -- good news for salt companies who contributed to both positive outcomes. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a 6% decline in workplace deaths in 2007; overall, occupational fatalities have declined from 5,840 to 5,488; the biggest improvement coming from at-work transportation fatalities. Traffic fatalities declined 3.9% to the lowest number in 13 years. The fatality rate of 1.37 is the lowest ever recorded, according the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Salt companies, likewise, had their safest-ever year in 2007 and sold a near-record amount of live-saving highway salt.

Posted by Dick Hanneman at 06:16 PM | Permalink

Today's Chicago Tribune informed readers of emergency meetings being held this week among public works managers of Chicago's northern suburbs. Tara Malone and Carolyn Starks reported:

As summer nears its final stretch, many cities and towns across the northern suburbs are stuck in a very wintry, administrative snowdrift: They have no road salt, supply is tight and prices are through the roof.

A similar story appeared in today's Pittsburgh, PA Tribune-Review.

Posted by Dick Hanneman at 11:46 AM | Permalink

Thirty-four salt storage facilities in 7 states and 2 Canadian provinces were first-time winners in the Salt Institute's 2008 Excellence in Storage Award program. The winners were unveiled during the American Public Works Association Congress today in New Orleans. An additional 63 facilities earned "continuing excellence" designation. Visit our website for more details.

Posted by Dick Hanneman at 11:15 PM | Permalink

The latest Salt and Highway Deicing features a discussion on how agencies can optimize "Inventory Management and Cost Minimization." Coming out of last winter's near-record salt usage, agency storage facilities were largely empty making the article timely reading for snowfighting professionals.

Posted by Dick Hanneman at 01:32 PM | Permalink

The Transportation Research Board has produced a new report, Cost effective performance measures for travel time delay, variation and reliability with application and implications for winter roadway operations. NCHRP Report 618 argues that highway

system users—the traveling public, as well as commercial operators—are increasingly sensitive to delay and unreliable conditions. By measuring travel-time performance, and related system metrics based on travel time, agencies will be better able to plan and operate their systems to achieve the best result for a given level of investment. At the same time, travelers, shippers, and other users of those systems will have better information for planning their use of the system.

In winter storms, agencies meet their "customers'" concerns for delay and reliability through salting and plowing. Measuring road surface outcomes is the key to delivering on customer expectations.

Report 618 guides agencies to using cost-effective techniques to gather and process data enabling real-time management decisions which can significantly improve winter roadway safety.

Posted by Dick Hanneman at 11:19 AM | Permalink

Compañía Minera Cordillera SCM (CMC), a new Chilean rock salt mining company and part of the Mahoney holding group (Eastern Minerals Group and Eastern Salt Group) has joined the Salt Institute. The Mahoney companies have been long-standing significant importers of deicing salt for roads along the east coast of the U.S.

CMC owns the "Tenardita" mine) in Salar Grande de Tarapacá, Iquique-Chile, with claimed reserves for more than 180 years and a purity exceeding 99%. The surface mining operation can produce 600 tons/hour with a 3-million ton annual production capacity.

Posted by Dick Hanneman at 09:34 AM | Permalink

A new analysis released today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported fewer Americans using federally-mandated nutrition information, especially sodium. The 2005-2006 NHANES study of 9,416 representative consumers found about 7 in 10 use the Nutrition Facts label, about the same as a decade ago. For sodium, only 66% consulted the label in 1995-1996 and that number declined 10% to 60% in 2005-2006. Among nutrients, only cholesterol fell more, 11%. Among all the listed nutrients, fiber was the only one where consumers registered increased concern as reflected in label use.

The label was mandated in 1994; sodium labeling had been in effect a decade before that.

Over the past ten years, 5% more reported "never" using the label. For salt/sodium, the increase in "never use" increased by 10 points from 12% to 22%. A decade earlier, 36% "always/often" used the sodium label; that eroded to 34%.

It would take another study to tell us why consumers are shunning nutrition information, but the pattern is consistent. Eleven percent fewer are using label health claims (37% "never") and even the ingredient list (32% "never"). With the multiplicity of advisories and the fact that scientists dispute the health consequences of cholesterol and sodium (and other nutrients), consumers are overwhelmed and doubtful about the advice they're being given. That's why the new Dietary Guidelines should adopt an "evidence-based medicine" approach in lieu of the expert panel approach of past reviews.

Posted by Dick Hanneman at 05:50 PM | Permalink

US Salt Corporation has sold its only salt property, the former Akzo Nobel evap plant in Watkins Glen, NY., to a natural gas company seeking US Salt's salt cavern storage capacity for its product. Both seller US Salt and buyer Inergy Propane LLC are based in the Kansas City area. The Kansas City Business Journal reported August 11 that Inergy will invest $191 million in acquiring US Salt and expanding its storage capacity by 5 billion cubic feet. A second stage development would add a further 5 billion cubic feet. The story quotes Intergy CEO John Sherman's news release:

"First, the salt business is characterized by stable cash flows and long-term growth potential; and it meets all of our strict acquisition criteria. This transaction also provides us with a long-term pipeline of high-return storage development projects in the heart of the Northeast natural gas distribution infrastructure."

Welcome to the salt industry, Intergy.

Posted by Dick Hanneman at 01:28 PM | Permalink

Many consumers continue in ignorance about the primary reason for consuming iodized salt: fetal and infant brain development. This isn't an aesthetic issue. For example, as my comment to this blogger notes, iodine deficiency for an expectant mother can penalize her child 10-15 IQ points.

Posted by Dick Hanneman at 01:21 PM | Permalink

The general public understands that blood pressure is an important risk factor for cardiovascular health. Most people don’t realize that the hormone aldosterone is an even more powerful risk factor predicting cardiovascular
events and mortality. After reading the latest issue of the just-released Salt and Health newsletter, you will understand that aldosterone is the key to understanding why low-salt diets have not proved beneficial to human health.

Posted by Dick Hanneman at 12:03 PM | Permalink